By Sachin Parashar

Copyright indiatimes

Europe’s economic powerhouse Germany is ready to welcome more Indian IT professionals and students following the US torpedoing of its H-1B visa programme, says German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann in an exclusive interview to TOI. Given the US H-1B overhaul, do you think this might be an opportunity for Germany to attract more skilled professionals from India? This is a chance for many to consider what Germany has to offer. I think we have one of the most liberal immigration laws in Europe and what is remarkable is that even though we had a change of government recently where the Conservatives took over the Chancery, nobody is thinking of changing this immigration law. So, there is a very liberal atmosphere and it’s veryeasy to get into Germany for skilled and highly skilled labor from India. I’d recommend to everyone who is thinking of going elsewhere to consider the many opportunities that Germany has to offer. What about further simplifying immigration processes, language restrictions and recognition of academic qualifications? You’d be surprised to see how quickly your visa is issued once there is a case for it. We don’thave a big problem with waiting times when it comes to skilled workforce visas. What’s perhaps more demanding is how to get your degree recognized in Germany and that’s something the government is working on. There’s a certain disadvantage because Germany has a differentlanguage. I’d say in the upper echelons of industries, German is not necessary and you see many Indian students studying in universities that have English-taught courses. I’d recommend that if you live in Germany, learn German at least to alevel you can converse in the streets or do your shopping. Do you think Germany needs more focused campaigns to attract talent, like maybepublicizing initiatives like the Opportunity Card? That’s one way into Germany if you have the means to sustain yourself for a certain period, fulfil certain criteria and have relevant degrees.You can see that on the embassy website. If you fulfil these criteria, you can go to Germany without even having a job and look for work there. So, that’s a very liberal approach. At thesame time, we have many other possibilities for people who do have a contract with a German company to come to Germany. We also have 60,000 Indian students in Germany, a growth of 20% from last year. This year the growth will beeven bigger because we have so many students who were thinking of going to the Americas but are now reconsidering. Once you have your degree in Germany, you can stay 18 months in Germany and look for a job. That’s a long period of time. Indians in Germany have a problem with cultural and social integration. How are you addressing it? This is important. I’d say you should not underestimate the fact that if you are going to Germany, your life will change in many ways. But what we are seeing is a growing Indian community with a very interesting network of assistance. When you go on Instagram or X or LinkedIn, you’d find a group of Indian influencersaddressing issues of German life for Indians in Germany. We do talk to these people and see them once in a while. They do an incredible job in preparing people to join the German life and learn German language. Indians in Germany have been tremendously successful in an admirable way. An average Indian in Germany’s workforce earns more than an average German. We have about 300,000 Indians in Germany. High salary means a valuable contribution to society and welfare. There’s a very positive mood towards Indians in Germany. Migration is an issue that’s discussed in Germany. It’s a problem when it comes to refugees and, asylum seekers, but skilled labor from India is excluded from this discussion. So, you are expecting an increase in the number of Indian students too? I think so. The applications from Indian students went up by 35 percent in the first month of 2025. We expect more Indians to come to Germany now. We have had a very good experience with Indian students in areas like engineering, IT and AI. However, there are non-German universitiesthat are geographically based in Germany and aggressively recruit in India. We have question marks when it comes to their quality and therefore my message to everybody is don’t trust your agent. Most Indians go through an agent. It’s always good to check on your own if that school is really up to the standards you want to achieve in your academic life. I can only say that in Germany education is a public good. You have basically little to no fee in our public universities, no tuition fee. I’d always strongly recommend joining state-funded and state-run universities, our most prestigious institutions.